The present monograph is devoted exclusively to the report on the cuttings, their stratification and structures. The excavations at Rajghat were carried out by the Department in the year 1957-58 and between the years 1960 and 1969. Initially it was intended to publish this work of several years into one volume. This could not be done due to several unavoidable reasons. As many of the chapters were ready quite some time back, we felt anxious that the results of this important excavation should be published in the form of self-contained monographs incorporating the different aspects of findings of the excavation. We concode that this is not the most ideal solution but apprehending that there might be a delay in publishing the entire report in one or two volumes, we have thought of the present alternative. We accordingly seek the indulgence of the readers.
In 1957, the Banaras Hindu University made a modest beginning in archaeological field when a small-scale excavation was conducted at the ancient mound of Rajghat on the northern outskirts of the present city of Varanasi.
The This monograph sets out the results of the excavation conducted at the ancient settlement of Varanasi. Kashi has the rare distinction of being one of the most ancient living cities of the world. The excavations have brought to light the vestiges of continuous human habitation for nearly three millennia. archaeological evidences show that the Ganga and the Barna offered a hospitable reception to the earliest settlers from the pre-Buddhist times down to the present day and confirm the history of Varanasi known from the literary sources. I hope the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture & Archaeology will continue to conduct further excavations so that India's glorious past may be revealed to the world.
Rajghat (Long. 83°1′30″E, Lat. 25°4′30″ N), representing part of the ancient settlement of Varanasi, is still locality of the city (Fig. 1). One who intends to visit the place may do so by hiring a rickshaw from Varanasi Cantt, to Rajghat, the distance being a little over six kilometres in a north-easterly direction. In fact, if one gets down at Kashi Railway Station, he will find himself right on the top of the mound. It is also approached by State Transport Bus plying between Varanasi city and Mughalsarai.
The entire region bears traces of ancient as well as modern habitation of man. However, as seen to-day there are three blocks of mounds labelled as Mounds 1, 2 and 3. As one approaches from the city side by Grand Trunk road, Mound 1 strikes the eye first. It is the main and the biggest mound. At placer it rises to a height of about 15 metres from the present ground level (Fig 2). The Grand Trunk road to the Malaviya bridge and beyond cute it unequally. It has also been cut in the west-east direction by a by-pass road to the Vasanta College for Women. The southern face of the mound has a fairly vertical section overlooking the left bank of the Ganga. The northern face overlooking the rig... bank of the Barna is less vertical and of less height. On top of this mound exists the present Kashi Railway Station and its godown, the Vasanta College for Women, and the Lal Khan's tomb. To these modern buildings have been added recently a couple of residential quarters and offices of the Akhil Bharat Sarva Seva Sangh and the Gandhian Institute. In spite of these disturbances, a consider-able part of the mound was available for excavation. The strategic position of Mound 1, with its precipitous scrap surrounded on the south-east by the Ganga (Pl.I A and B), on the north and northeast by the Barna and towards west and north-west probably by a moat is a significant indicator for the location of ruins of ancient Varanasi. The statements of Greaves¹ and Sherring that the ancient city of Varanasi stood farther north than at present, possibly, on both sides of the Barna, at a point where it joins the Ganga, also supports the above assumption. On the other side of the Barna, we could also locate the signs of ancient habitation at Sarai Mohana. This site about 0.33 km from the Lal Khan's RGT-I revealed the existence of as many as six cultural periods (numbered I-VI from bottom upwards) without any break in between all of them. RGT-II which was laid in the area already disturbed by the railway diggings at a depth of about 6.12 m from the top surface of the mound, brought to light the remains of Periods I, II, III and a few burnt brick structures of Period IV only. In RGT-III, all the six periods of occupation were found. RG1 IV, which was laid on the southern slope of the mound, connecting the alluvial deposit of the Ganga and the habitation, yielded the remains of a substantial bund or embankment besides the deposits of Periods I, II, III and IV. RGT-V, which was laid in the centre of the area under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India, yielded deposits of Periods I and IV only. RGT-VI, was laid on the lowest part of the mound and brought to view the remains of a mud street of Sub-period IB. In other three trenches, RGT-VII, VIII, and IX. remains of Periods III, IV and VI were encountered. In RGT-X and RGT-XI which were laid in an entirely new sector adjoining the Foundation for New Education all the six periods were found. RGT-XII, laid in an intact area belonging to the Railway authorities was particularly rich in structures and yielded the finds of all the six periods. RGT-XIII, measuring 23 m x 56 m was rich in the pro-NBP deposits. The cultural sequence of six periods was further corroborated in this cutting. RGT-XIV, which was laid on Mound 2, yielded the remains of only Periods I and VI with a definite break between the two, indicating the desertion and subsequent reoccupation of the area. Ma and Ma revealed the existence of a small channel as well as confirmed The trial cuttings the signs of ancient habitation over Mound 3. Four trial soundings (RGT-S RGT-S RGT-S, and RGT-S,) taken within the premises of the Sarva Seva Sangh brought to view the remains of several structures of different periods and confirmed our observation that the habitation also continued even beyond the area protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.
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